Matchy Matchy

Top: BR Factory Store
Skirt: Old Navy
Blazer: Old Navy
Shoes: Sam Edelman Sophie

After I decided to keep the Sam Edelman wedges, I realized I was stumped on what to wear them with! I usually stick with neutral colors for shoes, so even though these aren't too colorful, they were a challenge for me. Should I wear them with a neutral outfit? Or something with the same coral color? Or pair them with a complementary color? Decisions, decisions.

I found three tops in my closet that matched perfectly, so I decided to go the matchy-matchy route first.

How would you wear them? My ideas are limited and I would love suggestions :)

PS. That odd triangle of fabric by my neck is just a flipped-up ruffle. Didn't catch it in time :(

My baby doesn't let me eat ice cream

7 weeks old

I'm lucky that I've never had to cut anything out of my diet due to health reasons. Not even when I was pregnant, because I don't like raw fish or any of the other foods on the Do Not Eat While Pregnant List. Then I had my daughter.

Her skin was fine when she was born, a bit dry because she was overdue, but normal for newborns. When she was three weeks old, she started getting a little bit of baby acne. I Googled around, and found that it was perfectly normal when the babies bodies were adjusting to all the hormonal changes outside the womb, and it should go away on its own in a few weeks or months.

Then it started getting worse and worse. By the time she was 7 weeks old, it looked more like a rash than acne, with her cheeks covered in ugly red bumps. Around this time, I read Kelly from The Pretty Bee's post on how she had to cut out dairy, soy, corn and eggs from her already gluten-free diet because of the allergic reactions her baby was having. The symptoms she described were very similar (a lot of spitting up, fussiness, green poop... things that sometimes point to allergies and sometimes are completely normal). I really really hoped that I wouldn't have to cut out anything from my diet, especially dairy because I had just discovered this amazing salted caramel gelato at Safeway.

My doctor confirmed that her acne was bordering on a rash, and suggested I cut out dairy for a week or two to see if it made any difference (Noooooooooo!!!). So, I stopped eating my gelato and ice cream. I don't eat a lot in one sitting, rather I like to eat a spoonful or two every few hours. This meant I was snacking on it all day long for the last two months, so all the sudden going cold turkey was difficult for me, especially every time I opened the freezer and saw all the ice cream staring at me.

I tried to cut out all dairy, but I managed to sneak in some buttery pastries, a taco with cheese, and a buttercream frosted cupcake. Even with all my cheats, baby's skin immediately cleared up within the week. I hoped that maybe the acne went away on its own and the dairy had nothing to do with it, so I ate two spoonfuls of ice cream one night, and the next morning, BAM! the acne was back.

7 weeks old - breakout mcgee

7.5 weeks old - getting better

8 weeks old - almost all clear!

Anyway, long story short, I can't eat ice cream right now, and it makes me sad.

Right now her skin is mostly clear, but she still has a few bumps or dry spots sometimes. For the dryness, I've been using a little bit of Mahu Baby body lotion that Mahu sent me. It's made in New Zealand and specially formulated for babies' sensitive skin with all natural botanical ingredients and free of phthalates, parabens or sulphates. The lavender scent (from the essential oil, not added fragrance) is a bit strong, but it does go away, and the lotion is light and quickly absorbed. I just saw that they also carry a baby moisturizer with aloe vera and vitamin E that would probably be more suitable for using on the face if I don't want to overwhelm my baby's little nose.

My husband bought me some soy ice cream, but I'm not too big of a big fan. I don't really like sorbets either, but I've heard that Coconut Dream ice cream is good, so I'm looking for that next. Any suggestions on good non-dairy ice creams?

Disclosure: I was provided with the lotion in exchange for a review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

One sized

Top: c/o Oasap
Skirt: BR Factory
Shoes: Payless

Lately there have been a whole bunch of Asian "street fashion" websites popping up all over the web. The first one I was introduced to was Oasap.com (side note: how the heck do you pronounce it anyway?!?), and they have a pretty cool program where bloggers can apply and get sent free clothes. I have no money to spend on clothes right now, so of course I applied. (Find out more and sign up here!) Even if you're not a blogger, they have free international shipping on their entire site which is pretty awesome.

The thing about these Asian sites though, is that a lot of the items only come in one size, sometimes two. After living and shopping in Taiwan and China, I know a lot about these one-sized items, and usually they are TINY. I'm pretty average sized in the US, but in Asia, I'm not. There has been more than one occasion where a shop-owner looked me up and down and told me bluntly that they don't carry anything large enough for me. I've had to stick to only buying men's sneakers because all the women's shoes only went up to a size 7, and I'm an 8. The labels of the items that did fit me were usually marked XL.

Naturally, I was wary when I saw that many of Oasap's items were the dreaded "one-size" but I was delighted when I got this shirt in the mail and I COULD ACTUALLY FIT INTO IT (unlike my new skirt). Exciting times.

New (to me) favorites

Thanks to Pinterest (follow me here!) I've been finding a ton of amazing style blogs. There are so many women out there that are just so effortlessly stylish and beautiful, and I feel like I must have been living under a rock because I had never heard of these awesome blogs until very recently. I'd love to share a few of my favorites.

There are many reasons why I like these blogs, but I'll just let their photos do the talking. Click on the images to be taken to their respective blog posts.

Sidwalk Ready

Yesterday's Sweetheart

Sincerely, Jules

I hope you find these ladies as amazing and inspiring as I do. And I'd love to hear your newest favorites too, I'm always looking for new blogs to follow! :)

Frances vs. Sophie

A little while ago, Cee from To Brighten My Day posted a review for the LOFT Frances wedges, which were a dupe for the Sam Edelman Sophie wedges. She noted that they were comfortable (a plus!) and pointed out the zippered back and non-leg-shortening nude ankle straps. I was sold, but the problem was I couldn't decide which pair I liked more, the LOFT version or the Sam Edelman one.

At the time, the LOFT pair was still full price at $80, so I waited until they were marked down with one of their frequent sales. While I waited, I was lucky enough to win a $100 Shopbop.com gift certificate from Sorren (yay!!!!!). I browsed Shopbop for hours looking for something close to $100 (didn't want to spend too much out of pocket due to my clothing budget) but couldn't find anything I liked more than the Sophie wedges, which were only $120. Once I had decided to purchase them with my gift certificate, the LOFT pair went on sale down to $38, so I ended up buying both pairs to try on at home.

I'd love to review and compare the comfort level of the two pairs, because truthfully that's what I was most concerned about. But after trying them both on and walking around the house, they felt exactly the same. Both pairs were comfortable and I couldn't distinguish one from the other. Workmanship on both pairs was about the same as well, and both fit true to size.

There were a few differences though.

First, the LOFT version's front strap was a shiny patent red, while the Sam Edelman version had a softer coral hue and a matte leather finish. Also, the LOFT version used all man-made materials, but the Sam Edelmans were real leather.

The Sam Edelman version had a two-toned heel vs. the LOFT's solid one. The Sam Edelmans also had an adjustable ankle strap whereas the LOFT version's ankle strap was purely decorational and sewn in place.

The back zipper was about the same in terms of stickiness (which was one of Cee's concerns that the zipper was hard to zip), but I thought the zipper on the LOFT version looked "cleaner" versus the Sam Edelmans which had extra leather covering the zipper.

In the end, I decided to keep the Sam Edelmans and return the LOFT version. It was one of those decisions in which I didn't really have a strong opinion of one over the other, but I think the real leather and coral strap won me over for the Sophies. If I didn't have the Shopbop gift certificate, I probably would have kept the LOFT ones instead.

It looks like LOFT only has a few sizes available as of today (and these are only sold online and not in stores), so if you're a 7.5, 8, or 8.5, they're on sale for only $36!

Update: The Sam Edelman wedges are on sale from Shopbop for $84, from Endless.com and Piperlime for $80, or Bloomingdale's for $72 in limited sizes!

Happy shopping!

Pregnancy tricks

Top: Old Navy
Skirt: c/o Sugarlips
Necklace: Forever 21
Flats: Target

With this last pregnancy, the majority of the weight was gained in my belly, so after I gave birth (almost two months ago), that's where the weight stayed. It's depressing to be asked "how far along are you?" when you are no longer pregnant, or having your mother-in-law jokingly ask if there's another baby in your belly a few days after delivery (jokingly for her, not so much for me).

I've been trying to disguise my extra pounds with tops that are loose around the mid-section, and I think I do a decent job, but measurements do not lie. When I ordered this Sugarlips skirt, I naively chose my regular size, and when it came in the mail, I could barely zip it up. SIGH. I'll spare you the image of me cutting off my circulation, because it was not pretty. So, I used the pregnancy rubber band trick, pulled out my bella band from my never-want-to-see-again maternity clothes box, and wore a longer shirt to hide the jury rigged waistband. No one will be any the wiser... except you guys, of course.